I mention on the “About” page of this blog, that I would be researching and experimenting with recipes that would adapt well to baking in a wood-fired oven and that a number of regions of France had something to offer to this tradition.

CLASSIC SABLÉ

Here is the first such recipe, Sablés. Sablés are a simple, buttery shortbread type cookie famous in Brittany, the most northwestern region of France.

BUCKWHEAT / BLÉ SARASIN

This sablé recipe, found on the Epicurious website, is not the gold standard. For that, a standard all-purpose flour would be needed. This recipe calls for buckwheat, a dark, almost black, flour that is well-known in Brittany. The flour is most often called “blé sarasin” in reference to the Moors of Spain. The flour is commonly used in Brittany in savory crêpe recipes called “galettes.” In an authentic “crêperie”, the menu would present a selection of savory main-course galettes, and then a selection of desert crêpes made with lighter flours.

THREE-FLOUR RECIPE (with small modifications)

(for fun and flavor)

The recipe called for Buckwheat, Oat Flour, and White Rice Flour.

DETOUR 1: I didn’t have any white rice flour, so I substituted brown rice flour.

DETOUR 2: I added 1 tbsp of gluten protein – afraid my cookies might fall apart and having no gluten issues

DETOUR 3: The recipe called for light brown sugar. I used half light and half dark brown sugar.

PROCESS

Made roll-up logs of the cookie dough and put them in the freezer, which I hadn’t done before.

Great for making uniform, round cookies.

What a wonderful cookie to this guy’s taste buds. The cookie is much more delicate than a standard sablé, but such a delightful flavor. I will do it again and would recommend you give it a try — if you think you might like Buckwheat.

STAY SWEET !